Network operators in California and Texas support the heat record for Business and Economic News

California and Texas power grid operators are struggling to keep up with the demand for power this week as a massive heat wave drowns out the western U.S.

Heat clocks and warnings stretch for more than 1,500 miles (2,400 miles) from North Montana to Southern California. Temperatures are expected to reach 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in Sacramento this week, according to the National Weather Service. Dallas can hit a stifling 98.

Texas network operators said they did not expect a power outage Tuesday night. But residents are urged to reduce their use of electricity until Friday to avoid blackouts, as there are too many plants for repairs. California officials have warned that energy demand could exceed supply during the week.

“Temperatures are very hot, and there is no break for a potential heat record until Sunday,” said Bob Oravec, an announcer at the U.S. Weather Forecast Center.

The devastating weather marks stress tests related to the first heat of the year for U.S. networks as a historic drought takes over the nation’s western midwest. It was nearly a year after the California blackout last summer and four months after the Texas energy crisis in February, when a deep frost shut down power plants, shut down much of the state and left more than 150 people dead.

In California, the tightest supply could be on Thursday, when demand exceeds 43 gigawatts, or about 3.4 gigawatts more than projected supplies, according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state’s electricity grid. Although the heat wave is based on electricity from neighboring states, this week’s heat is expected to extend to the Canadian border, limiting imports, the operator said.

California officials have ordered public services to line up extra supplies and giant batteries to prepare for this summer, but have warned that the system may still have deficiencies.

As of Tuesday evening, the Texas network operator said the network has remained stable despite declining demand. It is reported to have energy reserves of around 3.4 gigawatts, which represents a supply margin of around 10%. The Texas Council on Electrical Reliability said it would call the first phase of a grid emergency if the reserve fell below 2.3 gigawatts, and the blackouts would begin to shut down if it fell below 1 gigawatt.

Tight supply conditions came after the creation of power plants with a capacity of 10.6 gigawatts (enough to power about 2.1 million homes) amid a sharp drop in demand for repairs. About two-thirds of those out of service are natural gas, coal and nuclear power plants. The rest are wind and solar, the network operator said.

Texas network officials are struggling to figure out why so many plants were accidentally broken. The number of commission-free generators is three times what is expected for this time of year.

“This is very worrying,” Warren Lasher, CEO of Ercote, said in a statement on Monday. “It’s not clear why we see so many units offline.”

Both wind and solar parks tend to draw more power in the warmer months of Texas. But their outing goes down all day. This can leave supplies tight at various points. It includes the beginning of the evening – when heat is generated and the wind blows down – and at dusk when the light goes back and the sun carries it with it.

Texas lawmakers recently approved innovations in the energy market. The measures required by the plant ensure that they can operate in extreme weather conditions and provide state-sponsored financial support and wholesale supplies for rising network electricity prices.

“Everything that needed to be done was to fix the Texas power grid,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters last week while signing the bill.

We’ll see a lot of warm-up for half a week. Excessive Heat Warning has been issued from Thursday to Saturday. The maximum will be between 100-113 ° with the lowest night heat.

Houston reached 100 degrees on June 13, the first time that mark was reached in a decade, according to weather service. This can lead to an unusually hot summer, as the city usually doesn’t suffer from such heat until August.

In the west, there will be heat warnings and clocks from Phoenix to northern California until Saturday afternoon, weather services reported Tuesday. Temperatures in the Central California Valley could rise to 113 earlier this week. Parts of Arizona could reach 118.

The drought that is taking up a large part of the region is making things worse. Drought can raise temperatures because the sun’s energy goes directly to heat the air instead of evaporating moisture from the ground. This dries the air and feeds more drought.